Desires! Our lives are plagued by them. In the past, our wants were few and our desires were also few. As man progressed in commerce and science, new inventions took place. These inventions were commercialized, advertised and sold and our desires also increased. Regular exposure to media, advertisement, drop in values of simple living and high thinking has increased our desires to Himalayan heights. Some of us work hard to realize our dreams and fulfil our desires. Others seek to achieve them through grace of God only. Yet others grab and seize the objects of desires from others and fulfill their own desires. Whether we work or pray or steal or grab, we seek for fulfilment of our ever increasing desires.
We must realise that it is impossible to be content and satisfied when we chase desires. When we achieve a desire, there is happiness only for a short period of time and then restlessness sets in. We begin chasing new desires. It is normal to want something bigger, better and newer each time. It is also human nature to want something that is opposite to what we sought the first time. After all we are well known for our contrary nature. This story of a man who did tapas and sought boons from Lord Shiva teaches us a great deal about desires and their fulfilment. Most importantly, it teaches us what to seek from God when we do tapas!
Sunder was extremely devoted to worship of Lord Shiva. He had been worshipping Shiva since he was a child and spent many hours daily in prayers and worship of the Shiva Linga. His lifetime of devotion bore fruit when the Lord appeared in front of him and said: I am pleased with your devotion. You can ask for three blessings or three gifts. You are entitled only to three boons. Sunder had worshipped Lord Shiva all his life and he had forgotten why he had started his rigorous tapas. His daily routine of pooja and worship was demanding and his worship was an obsession. He had forgotten what he wanted and so he thought over for some time.
After some deep thinking Sunder asked Lord Shiva for a particular gift. Then his mind screamed that it would not do. He had asked a gift for his wife and felt it was not suitable, so he cancelled that wish. He was angry with his wife as he felt it was due to her the wrong wish came to his mind. In that fit of anger he said: O Lord, Kill my wife! Immediately, she was dead. Sunder was shaken. In a fit of anger he wished her dead and now she was dead. He realised that he loved her very much. Hate and love alternate in any relationship and we generally tend to both love deeply and hate our partners. Sunder was sure he could not live without his wife. So he asked the Lord: O Lord, please revive her again. I love her very much and I cannot live without her. Two boons were used up – one for killing the wife and one for reviving her. Only one boon was left. So he asked the Lord to wait and give him time so that he could think over carefully and ask for an appropriate boon.
So Lord Shiva waited. Years passed and the Lord would come to Sunder after intervals and say: Now ask for your third boon. And Sunder would say: Please wait my Lord. I do not know what to ask. Sunder was unable to decide. There were so many desires but only one boon. He could not sleep. He became insane with stress and tension. He took the advice of the wisest people around him about what to ask. But he was not satisfied with their answers. Then finally he asked the Lord: Please advise me on what to ask. I am going insane with so much thinking.
Shiva said: There is only one worthwhile boon to be sought in life. Ask for desirelessness. When you have this boon there is nothing else you would want or need or seek in life. You would be wholly content. Else you will keep asking and contradicting yourself like you did before.
The Lord’s advice is worth remembering. When we pray or seek anything from Divinity, seek ‘desirelessness’. It makes life peaceful, content and blissful.
